Ice has long been used for various commercial and domestic demands. In the domestic context, ice making machines and storage bins are typically located in a freezer portion of a refrigerator or in a free-standing freezer. These domestic ice machines and storage bins are typically designed to hold only a relatively small amount of ice.
In the commercial context, there is typically a need for greater quantities of ice than in the domestic context. Some examples of commercial uses of ice include beverage and ice machines at restaurants, convenience stores, or hotels, but there are many other examples that require relatively large quantities of ice. In the commercial context ice can be stored in generous quantities within a relatively large bin, such as the bins described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,887,758 and 4,903,866. Relatively large quantities of ice can be stored in the bin and there is typically an access opening to provide a user access to the ice. Also, bins typically have a baffle or other means to prevent the ice from spilling out of the bin.
Several types of access openings are known in the art. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-238917 has a hinged door that swings outward from the storage bin and away from the ice stored inside the bin. On the other hand, some ice storage bins have hinged doors that swing inward towards the ice.
Also, there are several types of baffles known in the art. A baffle is a device as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-238917 that protrudes into the storage bin and baffles ice away from or otherwise directs ice to particular portions of the bin. When ice is subsequently removed from the storage bin, ice that was previously located behind or on top of the baffle can flow towards the baffle, and such ice can be baffled away from or otherwise directed to particular portions of the bin.
A difficulty in holding large quantities of ice in a storage bin is the propensity of the ice to “bridge” over time, making it difficult to dispense the ice from the storage bin. That is, when ice is stored in a large bin, some of the ice might melt slightly and then re-freeze in clumps, also called bridges. For example, ice might melt if some inner surfaces of the bin are at a relatively higher temperature than other inner surfaces of the bin. When the ice melts, liquid can form on the surface of the ice. In some instances, the liquid can re-freeze, causing the ice to become stuck together in clumps, thereby bridging. When ice bridges, the ice becomes more difficult to dispense from the storage bin.
Typically ice bridges can be broken up by stabbing or poking the bridge with a blunt object, such as an ice scoop or the user's hand. This solution can cause sanitary problems, however, if the blunt object is dirty and contaminates the ice. Ice bridging can be problematic when the ice bridges or otherwise forms on top of an internal baffle within the storage bin. In this situation, the bridge cannot be broken up because the baffle may prevent the user from reaching or otherwise contacting the ice bridge, for example, with a blunt object. In these instances, the ice bridge can prevent or otherwise inhibit ice from being dispensed or accessed from within the storage bin. In other instances, ice bridges could cause structural damage to the baffle or other internal storage bin components.